21.   Hx The CAW decision was made after preliminary negotiations that began in July and informal talks dating back to last year.

22.   Informal talks have been under way for about a year, Wilkin said.

23.   Informal talks on a settlement continued in Washington today, with more meetings set for next week.

24.   Informal talks will continue during the annual meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund in Hong Kong next week.

25.   Informal preliminary talks had begun in June.

26.   Informal talks on the proposal have continued since then, Guerra said.

27.   Later, Bush flew to Rome where he dined on pasta and held informal talks with Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi.

28.   Later, the company stressed that while it was exploring all options in the informal talks, there had been no change in its formal negotiating position.

29.   Negotiators for GM and the union did not even meet here Thursday, although informal talks continued in Detroit.

30.   Port commission spokeswoman Renee Dunn said informal talks between the companies and port officials about the project had probably taken place recently.